Variable view arthroscope

Abstract

A variable-view arthroscope or similar instrument (endoscope, etc.) includes a housing tube with an object input end. The housing tube contains an object input assembly and a portion of a light relay assembly. The object input assembly includes an input lens and a first mirror. In some embodiments, the object input assembly includes a second mirror, and in alternative embodiments, the object input assembly includes a prism. The object input assembly passes images received from a viewing area to an object relay assembly that transmits the image object to the control end of the arthroscope. In some embodiments, the light relay assembly is formed of two mirrored rods. A control varies the position of the object input assembly to change the a viewing position of the arthroscope. In some embodiments, the control includes a push rod driven by a slide and cam/axle assembly.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A variable view arthroscope having more than one viewing position, including a first viewing position and a second viewing position, comprising: 
       an input lens rotatable around a common axis;  
       a first mirror rotatable around the common axis, the common axis being coplanar with a reflecting surface of the mirror;  
       an object relay assembly;  
       wherein, the input lens, the first mirror and the object relay assembly are arranged so that object rays pass through the input lens to the first mirror and reflect from the first mirror toward the object relay assembly, and  
       wherein the angular rotation of the first mirror around the common axis between the first viewing position and the second viewing position is half the angular rotation of the input lens around the common axis between the first viewing position and the second viewing position.  
     
     
       2. The variable view arthroscope of  claim 1 , further comprising a fixed aligning optical element, the fixed aligning optical element being positioned so that object rays reflect from the first mirror to the aligning optical element and from the aligning optical element into the object relay assembly. 
     
     
       3. The variable view arthroscope of  claim 2 , further comprising a housing tube enclosing the input lens, the first mirror, the aligning optical element and the object relay assembly, the housing tube having a viewing end, the viewing end being closed by an input window, the input window being spherical and having a first surface with a curvature and a second surface with a curvature, the curvatures of the first and second surfaces of the input window being concentric around a common centerpoint. 
     
     
       4. The variable view arthroscope of  claim 2 , wherein the aligning optical element is a second mirror. 
     
     
       5. The variable view arthroscope of  claim 2 , wherein the aligning optical element is a prism. 
     
     
       6. The variable view arthroscope of  claim 2 , wherein the input lens is a conic negative lens. 
     
     
       7. The variable view arthroscope of  claim 2 , wherein the input lens is a doublet of two spherical lenses. 
     
     
       8. The variable view arthroscope of  claim 1 , further comprising a housing tube enclosing the input lens, the first mirror, the aligning optical element and the object relay assembly, the housing tube having a viewing end, the viewing end being closed by an input window, the input window being spherical and having a first surface with a curvature and a second surface with a curvature, the curvatures of the first and second surfaces of the input window being concentric around a common centerpoint. 
     
     
       9. The variable view arthroscope of  claim 8 , wherein the common centerpoint is on the common axis. 
     
     
       10. The variable view arthroscope of  claim 1 , further comprising an input lens frame, wherein the input lens is mounted on a first end of the input lens frame, the input lens frame having a second end proximate to the common axis and having a pivot point at the common axis. 
     
     
       11. The variable view arthroscope of  claim 10 , further comprising a control, the control including a push rod having a slide end and an input assembly end. 
     
     
       12. The variable view arthroscope of  claim 11 , the control further including a push rod yoke attached to the push rod at the input assembly end, an input lens connecting rod attached to the push rod yoke by a first yoke pin and to the input lens frame by an input lens frame pin, the first mirror being mounted on a first mirror frame, and a first mirror connecting rod attached to the push rod yoke by a second yoke pin and to the first mirror frame by a first mirror frame pin, the first and second yoke pins being coaxial. 
     
     
       13. The variable view arthroscope of  claim 12 , wherein the distance from the common axis to the input lens frame pin is half the distance from the common axis to the first mirror frame pin. 
     
     
       14. The variable view arthroscope of  claim 11 , the control further including a slide attached to the push rod at the slide end, the slide being longitudinally movable, a cam-axle assembly for moving the slide, and a view control to manipulate the cam-axle assembly. 
     
     
       15. The variable view arthroscope of  claim 1 , wherein the optical axis of the object rays intersects the common axis in the first viewing position and in the second viewing position. 
     
     
       16. The variable view arthroscope of  claim 1 , further comprising a first mirror frame, wherein the first mirror is mounted on the first mirror frame, the first mirror frame having a pivot point at the common axis. 
     
     
       17. A variable view arthroscope, comprising: 
       an input lens which is rotatable;  
       a first mirror which is rotatable; and  
       an object relay assembly; wherein the input lens, first mirror and object relay assembly are arranged to cooperate to capture and direct object rays so that the rays pass through the input lens to the first mirror, and reflect from the first mirror towards the object relay assembly, rotation of the input lens varying the view of the arthroscope, and wherein the angle of rotation of the first mirror is coordinated to be half the angle of rotation of the input lens.  
     
     
       18. The variable view arthroscope of  claim 7 , wherein the input lens and the first mirror are rotatable around a common axis and the common axis is coplanar with a reflecting surface of the first mirrors . 
     
     
       19. The optical system of  claim 17 , further comprising a second mirror, wherein the first mirror reflects object rays to the second mirror and the second mirror directs object rays to the object relay assembly. 
     
     
       20. The variable view arthroscope of  claim 19 , wherein the second mirror fixed. 
     
     
       21. The variable view arthroscope of  claim 18 , wherein the optical axis of the object rays intersects the common axis as the view of the arthroscope is varied. 
     
     
       22. The variable view arthroscope of  claim 17 , further comprising wherein the object relay assembly is a relay lens system, further comprising a prism, wherein the first mirror reflects object rays to the prism and the prism directs object rays into said relay lens system. 
     
     
       23. The variable view arthroscope of  claim 22 , the relay lens system having an optical center, wherein the prism is fixed and is oriented to reflect an axial object ray received from the first mirror to the optical center of the relay lens system. 
     
     
       24. The variable view arthroscope of  claim 17 , wherein the input lens and the first mirror are rotatable around a common axis and the common axis is transverse to the optical axis.